Peace of Mind Organizing

August tiny projects challenge: Day 4

20 August 2020

Today, I turned my attention to a tiny challenge that has a big impact: the area of my desk that I look at constantly. I probably view this area of my desk more minutes a day than anything else in my home, except probably my computer monitor.

I cleared my desktop as part of the tiny projects challenge at the beginning of the pandemic. But it needed more help. Here’s the before picture, taken moments before I got to working on it:

You can see some stuff just needed to be put away (my teal glasses and my mug, for example). But there were also items that really didn’t need to be on my desk: three water bottles (I just need one), an iPad Mini I don’t use much (it’s got a picture of Bix as a puppy as its cover), a big dish for paperclips and binder clips. I also have too many pairs of glasses on my desk. I need one—my computer glasses—within arm’s reach. The others (spare distance glasses, single-vision reading glasses, and spare computer glasses in case I leave the current pair upstairs) I moved to my office-supply closet.

Here’s the after picture:

And here’s a wider shot so you can see how that area fits into the landscape of my desk. (I know I always like to see that.)

The thing that takes up the most space on my desk is my abundant collection of pens. In my defense, I do hand lettering and I like to have the appropriate pen for the job at hand. I did pare the pens down further—I was able to get rid of one jar of pens. Believe it or not all those pens you see in the after picture are ones I feel I need close at hand.

I moved the extra water bottles into the kitchen and replaced the dish of paperclips with a small yogurt jar (the binder clips joined their friends in the office-supply closet). I also took the face shields that were in that cardboard box on the scanner stand just beyond my desk and put them in a container in the office supply closet so I could recycle the box. That made a big difference!

This project took me 20 minutes, including decorating a couple of yogurt jars with washi tape. I now have more visual peace and everything feels more expansive. Another project that puts a smile on my face!

I’m absolutely digging the high value these small projects bring. Tomorrow will be the last one of this batch, then we’ll get back to normal programming.

August tiny projects challenge: Day 3

19 August 2020

Today, I spent a half hour tidying and organizing one of the closets in my office. My office used to be a bedroom and it has a large closet, whose sliding doors I removed, where I store my office supplies. (If you’re curious, I did a before-and-after of that closet a few years ago in this post.) But the office also has a small reach-in closet, original to the 1908 house. In it, I store two rolling file carts, some archival things, and mostly genealogy-related items.

Back in 2011, I outfitted the closet with a simple Elfa system. About a year ago, when I was training one of my employees, we decluttered and organized the closet, but disarray had crept in. I thought it would be a great tiny project for today.

First, I snapped a before shot, of course:

Almost all the clutter was on the main desktop-like surface. I pulled out all those items. The bulk of it consisted of genealogy journals, which I placed in the bin labeled “genealogy journals to read.” (That bin seems to only get more full.) There were a few items I took upstairs to file. There were a few genealogy-related document that needed to be filed and at least one business-related document to file in the other file cart. And there were a number of photos of ancestors, which I honestly didn’t remember, scattered about on the surface. I also store my laptop backpack on that surface, so I can grab it easily. Of course, I haven’t had a need for it since March, but I plan to use it again in a couple of weeks.

It was easy for me clear the surface. I filed what needed to be filed and I put all the ancestry photos together. I need to scan and process them into my electronic genealogy filing system, so I put them in a container that I labeled, “photos to process.”

I did one other thing that pleased me. I had a bulging file that was taking up too much room in my file cart. I pulled it out and saw it was my “Kudos” file, where I placed cards and printouts of emails that expressed appreciation. I like to hang on to them in case I need a boost. But, to be honest I rarely look in that file.

The file was taking up so much space because of the cards that people had taken the trouble to write in and mail me. So I took out the cards and put them in a little container that I labeled “happy cards.” It’s now on a shelf, so it will be easy for me to look at them. Maybe I’ll go through them as a little reward at the end of the day! No reason to hide them, right?

Here’s my little happy cards bin:

The hooks on the wall had laptop bags that have been supplanted by my backpack, but I may have alternate uses for them, so I moved them to the guest-room closet. I left the felted wool bag because it makes me happy. It reminds me of my 2009 trip to Australia, where I purchased it.

Here’s the after shot:

It took me only 30 minutes (including filing and making labels!) and now I have peaceful closet where things that make me happy jump out at me. This little project put a smile on my face!

Be sure and look tomorrow for another tiny project!

August tiny projects challenge: Day 2

18 August 2020

Today I focused on my cluttered computer desktop. I don’t tend to see my desktop—it’s hiding behind the many windows I always have open on my Mac. The only time my cluttered desktop bugs me is when it gets so full it fills the entire desktop on my big external monitor and starts slopping over to my laptop monitor. That happened a little while ago, so I decided to address it in as a tiny project.

The desktop is the default place for me to save screenshots. I take a ton of them without ever bothering to go back and delete them. Clearly I could use some habit change here.

This project actually took me 40 minutes so it wasn’t so tiny. But it could have been worse. I accidentally discovered a time-saving feature at the beginning of the session that made this a lot easier.

But, first, an embarrassing photo of my cluttered computer desktop this morning. (I revealed the desktop in order address it without having to close all my windows by clicking Command F3.)

The miracle shortcut that made this so easy is found under the View menu in the Finder. It’s called Use Stacks. I clicked it just to see what it would do and was amazed that it cleaned up my desktop by putting all the loose files together in stacks of categories, like Screenshots, Movies, PDFs, and Images. When you click on a stack, the individual files appear.

Thanks to Use Stacks, before I even started decluttering, suddenly my desktop looked like this:

It felt like a miracle. I could have stopped there. But I knew I wanted to actually get the excess out. So I spent some time refiling some of the documents and pictures I wanted to save and deleting the rest. This was a bit of a tedious process that I know I can avoid in the future by not letting them pile up. With like items together—particularly all the screenshots—it was much easier to identify the items I wanted to file and those I wanted to delete.

So 40 minutes after I started this is what my desktop looked like. I’m decided to stick with Use Stacks mode and I’m happy there are very few items in those stacks.

The result of this 40 minutes is some visual peace of my desktop and a resolve to do several things so my desktop doesn’t get so out of control:

• Delete screenshots I know I no longer need
• Resist the urge to let store items on the desktop rather than filing them
• Employ Use Stacks to keep my desktop tidy

I’m glad I did this, even though it took a little longer than I expected, because I am now so much better equipped to avoid this problem in the future!

Watch out for another tiny project tomorrow!

August tiny projects challenge: Day 1

17 August 2020

This morning I spent 15 minutes on a tiny project that’s been on my list forever: my pajamas. I’m not ashamed to share that I store my pajamas in a laundry basket on the floor next to my side of the bed. Since I am not remotely worried about my pjs wrinkling, tossing them in the basket when I put away laundry (or after taking them off to re-wear) is about as easy as it gets. And if you’ve read my stuff for any length of time, you know I’m all about easy.

Here’s a picture of the basket before I started my little session:

I set my stopwatch, and started emptying the basket garment by garment. Naturally, those I wear most often were at the top of the basket. I folded the pajamas and put them together in sets. I grouped short-sleeve and long-sleeve pajamas in separate piles. I’m a big fan of Soma Cool Nights pajamas (which I always buy on sale) and at the bottom of the basket were some pajamas I’d bought prior to discovering the comfort of Cool Nights. So those went right into the donate pile. I discovered a couple of pair of lounge pants that I don’t sleep in but want to keep storing in the basket.

Once everything was sorted out, here’s how it all looked spread out on the bed:

Then all I had to do was put the stuff back. Since it’s August, my big winter robe went in the bottom of the basket. Next to it went the long-sleeved pajamas. I started piling them in layers, based on frequency of use, with my go-to favorites and my summer robe in the top layer.

Here’s the after photo:

So much better, right? It was a nice, satisfying investment of 15 minutes. I know that very soon (like tomorrow or perhaps the next day, if I’m diligent tomorrow), it will look messy again. And I’m just fine with that. I’m going to try to remember when the weather gets cold to do another sort so that the warm items are on the top. I think this is a great example of function over form. And also an excellent example of good enough!

Stay tuned tomorrow for another tiny project!

Tiny Projects Challenge, take two

13 August 2020

Back in May, I took on a personal tiny projects challenge, in which I completed five small organizing projects around my house in a week. I did one a day and blogged about it the day I did it. In only about an hour, split up over the course of five days, I was able to make some very nice, life-improving changes.

Well, there’s still a pandemic going on and I’m still home the great bulk of my time. And there’s still plenty of room for improvement around here. So I thought I’d myself a favor and start another tiny projects challenge. Each day next week my plan is to accomplish and write about one tiny project a day, complete with before and after photos.

Looking around, I see that I have plenty of tiny projects from which to choose. They include (but are not limited to):

• My office-supply closet
• My computer desktop
• My under-desk file cart (that will surely take longer than 15 minutes)
• The reach-in closet in my office (as distinct from my office-supply closet)
• My monitor stand
• My lettering pens
• Some of my organizing supplies

I encourage you to consider joining me! What tiny projects jump out at you when you look around? We can make a big difference in our homes by isolating just one little area and improving it in less an 30 minutes of effort. Watch out for my first tiny project on Monday!

I'm a Notary Public (and you can be one too)

6 August 2020

On August 4, I took the oath to become a Notary Public. I think it will be handy to help my clients when they need notary services. But that’s not why I did it. I did it to make easier for people to vote by mail-in or absentee ballot. Missouri is one of three states that (at least at the writing of this June 1, 2020 article on NPR’s website) requires a notary to cast a vote through the mail. The other two states are Oklahoma and Mississippi. In some instances, absentee ballots in Missouri do not have to notarized. But all no-excuse mail-in ballots—which are new for the pandemic in 2020—must be notarized.

I am passionate about voters’ rights and I thought becoming a notary would be one way I could be helpful. By law, a Missouri notary may not charge to notarize a ballot or voter registration, but it’s not always easy to find a notary when you want to vote. That’s why I’ll be joining other notaries at ballot-notarizing events before November’s general election. I’m also happy to arrange private notarizing. Of course, masks and social distancing (to the maximum extent possible) will be implemented.

It’s not hard to become a notary in Missouri, but it’s not exactly easy, either. In a nutshell, you have to meet the requirements, read the handbook, take an open-book test, apply and then after you receive your commission number, get a surety bond, take it to the courthouse, take an oath, get a certificate, send the certificate to the company that supplies the notary stamp and register, and order those supplies. (I paid a total of $89 for all of the above.) If you’re interested in becoming a notary, start at this page on the Secretary of State’s website: How to become a Missouri notary.

The order you have to do things in is very specific and, at least to my mind, wasn’t completely clear. But as soon as I finished the process, I wrote it all down. I’m happy to share that document with anyone who’s interested.

If you’re in the St. Louis area and want any help becoming a notary (or getting hooked up with other notaries who are making themselves available to notarize ballots) or if you just need me to notarize your ballot (or anything else), please shoot me an email at janine@peaceofmindorganizing.com. I am excited to be able to be helpful!

Worth repeating: Lessons learned from a painful thumb

3 August 2020

I wrote this blog post almost exactly four years ago. When I read it again this morning, I thought the message was still valuable so I wanted to share it again. I’m happy to report that my thumb continues to be pain-free!

I was diagnosed with trigger finger recently (trigger thumb, actually). Trigger finger happens when the tendon in a finger or thumb becomes inflamed, causing the finger to catch in its sheath. The finger then locks in the bent position and then releases with a snap.

As soon as I noticed severe pain in my thumb and experienced that tell-tale snap after waking up, along with a constant dull pain in the thumb, I made an appointment with a hand doctor. (My husband has had surgery for trigger finger twice, so I was clued in.) The doctor confirmed my self-diagnosis and suggested a steroid shot. I’d heard that the steroid shot was really painful, but I decided to give it a try.

What does this have to do with organizing? It brought to mind two things that I see in clients while decluttering and organizing.

First, the fear of the pain of the shot was worse than the pain itself. And while it was quite painful for about 10 to 12 (long) seconds, it wasn’t by any means unbearable. Once the pain of the shot was gone, the pain of the condition slowly started to fade away.

It got me thinking about the fear some clients feel about hiring an organizer or the prospect of going through the decision-making process of decluttering. It seems scary, but the pain is over pretty quickly. And once you’re past the pain of getting started, you can start getting relief.

After I got my steroid shot I was (unrealistically) expecting instant relief. That wasn’t the case. It took probably a week, but every day there was less pain in my thumb. Then one day there was no pain at all. I could grip items without pain and the constant dull ache was gone. And mornings were much easier, since I woke up pain free.

It probably took me a week to notice the absence of pain. That was a real a-ha moment for me. Once I noticed that my thumb no longer hurt, I was delighted. The shot had worked! I was amazed that it took so long to notice.

Isn’t that true of a lot of things in life, including organizing systems? We notice what isn’t working. We feel the pain and frustration of failing systems or the absence of systems. But when things are going well, we often don’t even notice. We’re missing an opportunity to feel good about ourselves!

I encourage you to think about the things in your life that are working well. Notice the absence of frustration. Think about what you’re doing right and apply those lessons to the frustrating aspects of your life.

Noticing the absence of pain can be difficult. But it can be rewarding!

Photo by Katya Austin on Unsplash